Nutrition is approximate.
Equipment
- 5-6 L / 5-6 qt heavy pot with tight lid
- sieve
- spoon
Before you begin
Use the listed metric weight for flour, grains and meat for consistent results. Ingredient weights are raw or dry unless stated otherwise. US measures and metric quantities are both listed; rounded equivalents are approximate.
Prep 25 min · Cook 110 min · Waiting 15 min
Allow about 150 minutes: 25 minutes preparation, 110 minutes cooking and 15 minutes resting, rising, chilling, cooling or marinating. The recipe lists Prep 25 min; Cook 90-110 min; Rest 15 min. Where a range is given, this total uses its upper end; ingredients, equipment and dough temperature can change the time. The 30-minute rice soak overlaps the cooking of the meat base and is not added again.
Ingredients
- Boneless lamb shoulder, raw, 3 cm cubes — 600 g / 21.16 oz
- Long-grain white rice, dry — 450 g / 15.87 oz
- Carrots, peeled, 5 mm batons — 600 g / 21.16 oz
- Onion, thin half-moons — 200 g / 7.05 oz
- Sunflower oil — 70 ml / 2.37 US fl oz
- Whole garlic head, loose outer skins removed — 1 / 60 g / 2.1 oz
- Cumin seeds — 4 g / 0.14 oz
- Fine salt, divided — 10 g / 0.35 oz
- Water for zirvak — 600 ml / 20.29 US fl oz
- Boiling water for rice, start with this amount — 300 ml / 10.14 US fl oz
- Extra boiling water, only if required — up to 150 ml / 5.1 US fl oz
Step-by-step method
- Wash and soak the rice
Rinse rice in several changes of cool water until mostly clear. Cover with fresh water and soak 30 minutes while making the zirvak; drain thoroughly. Pat lamb dry. Cut carrots into batons, never grate them. - Brown the base
Heat oil in a 5-6 L / 5-6 qt heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown lamb in two batches, 6-8 minutes each; set aside. Cook onion in the same oil 6-8 minutes until golden, then return meat and add carrots. Stir gently for 7-8 minutes. - Simmer the zirvak
Add 600 ml / 2.5 US cups water, cumin, 7 g salt and the whole garlic head. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook on low 30-40 minutes until lamb yields to a fork. Keep a visible shallow broth; do not boil dry. - Add rice in a level layer
Spread drained rice over the meat without stirring it into the lower layer. Dissolve remaining 3 g salt in 300 ml boiling water and pour gently over a spoon. Liquid should reach about 5-8 mm / 1/4 in above rice; add only enough of the reserve to reach that depth. - Absorb, then steam
Boil uncovered over medium heat 8-12 minutes, until surface water disappears. Taste a top grain: it should be nearly tender. If still hard and dry, add reserve water in 30 ml / 2 tbsp increments. Make five holes through rice with a spoon handle, cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat 15-20 minutes. - Rest and serve
Turn off heat and rest covered 15 minutes. Rice should be separate and tender, and lamb soft. Remove garlic, fold the layers together gently once and divide into six portions. Cool leftovers promptly in shallow containers rather than leaving the pot on the stove.
Cook’s notes
Do not apply this water schedule to devzira without adjustment. Excess water and early stirring make dense rice. Beef shoulder may replace lamb but needs a longer zirvak simmer; wait for tenderness before adding rice.
Storage & reheating
- Cool in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours at 4 C / 40 F or below. Use within 2 days; reheat once to 74 C / 165 F throughout. Freeze individual portions up to 2 months.
Allergens
Contains: none of the major allergens as written. Check packaged ingredients.
Approximate nutrition
Per serving: 655 kcal · Protein 25 g · Carbohydrates 76 g · Fat 28 g.
Approximate nutrition per serving, divided into 6 portions, for the measured recipe as written. Ingredient brands, edible yields, cooking losses and retained oil vary. Optional accompaniments and substitutions are excluded.
